Thomas de Quincey (1785-1859)

Overview

Thomas de Quincey (August 15, 1785 - December 8, 1859) was an English author and intellectual most famous for writing Confessions of an EnglishOpiumEater. De Quincey was a brilliant child who seemingly became disillusioned with school and took to the road, borrowing money and living as a pauper until he was discovered by his family. He was returned to Worcester School, Oxford, where he began to use opium. Again he left school and became acquainted with English poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth.

While in London to sell some translations, he was encouraged to write about his Opium use and that writing was subsequently published in the London Magazine and again in book form. He continued to write for the remainder of his life, often on David Ricardo's economic theory, and died after receiving wide praise for his literary and intellectual pursuits.